Primeval: Season Six
by BumbleBeee96
Summary: It's been a month since convergence, and the ARC's main mission is to control and understand the extent of public knowledge of the anomalies. Yet with the anomalies acting merely as distractions to the secrets that are haunting the ARC team, how long will it be until the whole world discovers the truth? *Separate from my Jayme Cutter series*
1. Episode One (Part One)

**Episode One: Something Old, Someone New**

**Even with the engagement, the events of New Dawn are still weighing heavily on Connor's shoulders, Matt has to deal with his own secrets, Jess is finding Becker more distant than ever, and an incursion of Euthecodon's in a local park push the team to their limits.**

* * *

"Where is everyone?" Emily's hands dropped from the blonde's hair, the twirling of her fingers no longer keeping her distracted from what needed to be said. As she stole a glance up, she was instantly met with the bright, blue eyes staring back at her, the mirror showing every trace of worry that the blonde held on her face. For a moment, her brain racked through the many excuses she could've said to her. She was told to make sure the blonde wouldn't worry. She was told to keep her distracted for as long as possible until they arrived. Yet they were late by half an hour, and the former Victorian could no longer stop herself from feeling anxious, at this rate they would have to postpone the whole event.

"I don't know," She regretted the words instantly. She'd never seen so many emotions wash over a person's face in such a short time.

"What do you mean 'you don't know'? How is that even possible?"

"Abby, it'll be ok, we just need to finish getting you ready," Emily began, but the second her fingers reached out for the blonde curls, her head whipped away.

"Where are they? Where's Connor? Why isn't he here? What's wrong?" The blonde felt herself shake as she stood to face Emily, all sign of serenity gone. "Where is he?"

"I think you need to sit down, you don't look so good," All instincts to reach out and steady the woman in front of her were instantly held back; trying to help her when she was in this kind of state never ended well, it only made her feel weak, Emily had grown to understand that now.

"Don't tell me what to do! Where are they?" A moment's silence passed before the blonde stormed past her, the trail of glowing white fabric following close behind. "Emily, please! What's going on?"

"Connor didn't want to worry you..."

"What do you mean?" She turned to face the door, blue eyes staring at the dark wood as if it would help provide the answers she needed. She took a deep breath, steadying herself as head took a little spin. This couldn't be happening. Not today, not now.

"They all agreed you didn't need the stress, they said it wouldn't be good for you, they said they'd be back in time,"

"Back from where?" Abby snapped, eyes wide as she turned back to face Emily, everything in her body telling her something wasn't right. Connor always told her he trusted her gut feelings, but how could she dare trust them when they told her he wasn't safe.

"Abby..."

"No, this can't be happening!" The door crashed against the wall, shocking Emily into a standstill as the white dress disappeared down the corridor.

"Abby, wait!" She moved after her, her ears picking up on the sound of another set of doors opening, and not quietly. If it hadn't been such a hostile action, Emily would've imagined the music being set into motion, despite the absence of the groom. However, judging by the murmurs of confused guests, she could guess that wasn't the case.

As Emily met the gaze of a hundred people, the phone hooked into Abby's shoe sent a shrill ring through the large hall of the building. She could only beg it was Connor ringing to apologise for being late, but Emily knew the chances of her hopes coming true were slim.

"What's going on? Where the hell are you?" The former Victorian felt ill at the blonde's words, her own nerves rapidly becoming more and more overwhelming, more than she could handle. "What?" The descent of volume unnerved Emily, to the point where her whole body was unwilling to move a single muscle. The breathlessness to the blonde's question made her heart beat that little bit faster, and she was sure she'd faint if her head kept finding new scenarios worse than the previous thought.

"Abby?"

The phone clattered to the floor. Despite the growing silence, the voice on the other end was inaudible. Her hand dropped to the diamond necklace on her neck before she turned to face Emily, skin paler than she'd ever thought possible.

"Abby, what happened?"

* * *

_**Six months earlier...**_

If someone were to make a list of the rarest occurrences in the world, a sunny day in London during late October would most certainly be in the top five. With the cloudless sky, scorching winter sun and dry ground, the day seemed to give the perfect opportunity for a family outing. One of the more known places for these outings was Riverside Park, a local area of rich, green grass, and a beautiful large lake, half shadowed by the looming oak trees that adorned the east side of the park. It was places like these that showed the world could still be peaceful, with the laughter of children acting as the loudest sound to be heard. It was a common misconception that innocence like this could remain unscathed.

"Amelia, come here," The gentle voice called, an eyebrow raised in question as she watched the child hesitate. "Put some more sun cream on before you go running off again," Though reluctantly, the young girl followed her mother's voice, planting herself down on the ground beside her. "Honestly, you act as if it's going to eat you," The woman remarked, shaking her head as she reapplied the protection to her oldest child's skin. "There, all done,"

The young girl pouted before disappearing once more towards the trees, her bright pink shoes hitting the grass as fast as her legs would take her.

"Don't go too far!" Her mother shouted; breathing a sigh before turning to the young boy sat crossed-legged on the picnic mat. His tiny hands clutched the toys as he impersonated a variety of car sounds, sending the miniature vehicles off into the grass. "God help me when you reach that age," She added, though the younger child merely looked up at her with big brown eyes that reminded her too much of his father, and chose not to say a word. "Or maybe you'll be different," She murmured, forcing herself to look away, a long breath falling past her lips. At this point she wasn't really sure what she wanted anymore.

Amelia discarded her new pink shoes beside the riverbed, knowing all too well how angry her mother would be if she ruined them. Placing herself on the edge of the grass, the eight year old let her feet dip into the cold water, flinching at the chill. Ahead of her she saw a young boy and his father sat in a wooden boat, floating calmly on the lake's surface, and further past there sat a group of children pushing a paper ship across the water. She'd done that once before. Her dad showed her how to make it, and he had helped as she sat by this very lake, using a stick to send the tiny boat out further into the water. She didn't think that would ever happen again, she hadn't seen her dad in a long time.

A splash over to her left stole her attention, a flurry of ripples creating patterns on the lake's surface. Curious, Amelia stood up, stepping further into the tree's shadows as she followed the sound, tilting her head as she looked at the water. It had been a while since she'd seen a fish in this lake, they were very hard to find, and she felt an instant happiness over the prospect of finally seeing one again.

Placing her youngest child back on the mat, the mother closed the bottle of sun cream, shoving it back into the bag beside the picnic basket. It still felt strange being back here, and even after a year she would always feel that stab of nostalgia when she gazed across the park, knowing her ex-husband wasn't somewhere joining in with Amelia's games, or walking back to the car to grab his phone as he always managed to forget it every time. He used to say it was so easy to forget the simple things when his mind was on his family. Yet, his mind didn't seem to be on his family now, he'd been gone for a year, and not once had he shown any interest in seeing his own children. It seemed that Amelia and Jacob were all she had left.

Her thoughts were soon drowned out by the high-pitched scream that echoed through the once peaceful park, and it was as if her heart had stopped beating.

* * *

"_Some people are calling it judgement day..."_

"_There are an increasing number of reports on serious attacks..."_

"_People are being eaten alive..."_

An arm from behind him reached out to cut the power, and the once bright screen in front of him soon faded into darkness. He felt himself blink a number of times before his weary eyes adjusted to the new surroundings. By the sound of the small gulp and the following silence, he assumed she didn't quite know what else to do or say now.

"Connor..." She sighed, watching solemnly as he remained still, as if he hadn't heard her at all. "Why are you still watching those?" At first she didn't think he'd answer, the long pause of silence was unbearable.

"I don't understand," He murmured, his body still not daring to move a muscle. He sounded as confused as Abby felt, but she couldn't let it get to her, one of them had to remain strong through this. She wouldn't, no, in fact she couldn't let him see her weak. It would be selfish of her to do so, right?

So instead she bit back the emotion threatening to spill out into her voice. "Don't understand what?"

"Where all the footage went, how this hasn't gone global, how I'm the only one with the videos," The traces of anger in his voice only heightened the volume. "I mean, who sent them to me, why haven't we figured that out yet?"

"I don't know, Con. Look, we've been through this..."

"I know!" It took every bit of strength she had to remain unfazed by his snap. "I'm sorry Abs, it's just-"

The ring of her mobile cut him off, and despite her hesitation to answer, he didn't say anymore, reverting back to a silent form. She took one last glance before turning away, bringing the phone to her ear. "What's up?"

"_Anomaly alert, Riverside Park, meet you there straight away?" _

"Yeah," She responded, biting her lip as she looked over towards her fiancé, "I'll be there shortly," With that, she hung up, sliding the phone back into her pocket. "Connor-"

"Anomaly?"

"Yeah," She murmured, walking over to him slowly as if he were a deer she was afraid to startle. "I think you should get some rest, we can handle this one,"

"I'm fine," It was the same hostile, stubborn tone he used whenever he strongly disagreed with someone. He'd never used that tone with her before.

"Please, at least until I get back, yeah?" Rarely did she use such a quiet, pleading tone in her life, but this time definitely required it. It seemed to work too. He didn't respond so quickly, he didn't speak at all; instead he simply nodded, walking away without a second glance. She really couldn't understand how he'd changed so much. After New Dawn, after she proposed, he'd been happy to accept, he'd seemed to have forgiven himself. It was a week later that it appeared to really dawn on him, and the news footage hadn't helped. It was as if the whole world had forgotten what had happened, and all evidence was eradicated excluding a copy of videos sent to Connor's email. No one knew who sent them, no one knew why, and no one could understand how the anomalies hadn't gone global. To Abby though, it felt as though it was only a matter of time.

* * *

The unwelcome sound of the alarm had the team leader racing through the ARC corridors in order to reach the main control room with little time to spare. As usual, Jess was sat whizzing away at the screens, drawing up all data that would assist the team in their latest anomaly alert. Surprisingly, the head of security, Captain Becker, hadn't been making it his mission to be first at the monitors lately, something Matt couldn't quite figure out why. What had changed all of a sudden?

"Jess, what do we have?"

"Anomaly, Miocene, seven or eight feet in height, east section of Riverside Park, only a couple feet from the lake," The field co-ordinator informed, throwing a glance back at the man before returning to the screens. Though as Matt predicted, it only took a second, tops, before the chair spun back round to face him. "Is everything alright? You look a little-actually you look a lot... You look tired,"

"I'm fine, where's Becker?" The look in her eye told him she wasn't finished with this conversation, but she entertained his subject change for now, slowly turning to check for the soldier's black-box signal.

A couple more taps of the keyboard and the young brunette found the answer she was looking for, though Becker's absence in the control room was really starting to bug her. "It looks like he's packing the cars," She told him. He used to always check in before leaving; had she done something wrong, upset him maybe?

"Right, I'll ring Abby on the way, she'll meet us down there. Keep tuned for any reports coming in, the last thing we need is a dinosaur loose in a family park," Matt stated, not taking a second glance back before heading out from the room, and in all honestly, lately, Jess had never felt so alone here.

The question as to whether or not Matt's fear would come true was answered as the government vehicles pulled up to the side of the park. It had only been one scream at first, then a person running, and then like dominoes everyone was set off. It was scenes like this that made their work feel more and more unbearable. To see such fear and confusion, to know that someone's life could be moments away from ending wasn't a feeling that any one of the team members enjoyed. Only problem was, it came with the job, and they had to push past those feelings in order to do it properly, otherwise who knows what would be at stake. At times this whole process felt like the only thing they really knew how to do anymore.

"Becker, get the EMD's, Lee, get the ALD, everyone else sweep the park for the incursion. Emily, you're with me, we need to find out what's going on," Matt ordered, and everyone separated to fulfill their individual jobs, the former Victorian jumping out of the car to assist him. "We need to speak to that woman by the lake, if there's anyone here who knows anything then it's her," He added as they headed across the grass.

Emily couldn't help but sneak a few glances up at the man as they walked, it seemed as though he was feeling worse and worse every day. His eyes were lacking their usual spark, purple bags hanging under them, and his mind was becoming a thing of worry. It was as if over the past month he'd been in a completely different place, so distracted by something that Emily couldn't even begin to figure out. She was concerned for him, to say the least.

"Do you think she knows what happened?" The brunette asked after a few minute's silence, bringing herself to find his gaze.

"Maybe, I'm guessing she's involved somehow," Matt told her, his eyes focussing on the woman ahead, a small child in her arms as she ran towards various people, screaming for help. Her hands that were wrapped around the boy were shaking, and she seemed more than likely to be feeling hopeless, with all attempts to get help failing. Her eyes lit up as she spotted the two growing closer and Emily had never seen a person move so fast in her life.

"Please, help me!" She begged, a hand gripping Matt's shirt to stop him, "My baby, she- I need your help... I heard a-"

"I need you to remain calm and tell me exactly what you saw," The team leader instructed, almost instinctively, resting a gentle hand on the woman's shoulder as he spoke.

She took a frantic glance around before meeting their gaze again, a look of desperation in her eyes that Emily found hard to watch, "I heard my baby scream, my little girl, she was over by the-" She took a quick breath, lip trembling slightly, "She was playing by the lake and I heard her scream, I know it was her. I ran to find her but I couldn't," A hand rushed up to her mouth as she let out a sob. The child in her arms cuddled into her, and before Matt had a chance to speak, she continued, "Please help me, please,"

"We'll find her, where was she playing?" Emily asked, keeping her voice soft as she spoke. If she'd had a tissue on her, she'd have handed it to the woman in an instant; she hated to see a person cry.

"Over there," The woman pointed towards the lake edge, an area shadowed by the trees growing tall. The shade seemed almost daunting from a distance, and all Emily could think of was the young girl hiding in there, more terrified than she'd ever been before.

"If you head in the direction of those vehicles out of the way, there'll be someone who will watch over you," Matt informed, giving a nod towards the ARC cars.

"I promise we'll bring her to you safe," Emily told her, giving the woman's shoulder a gentle squeeze before she silently thanked her and headed shakily in the direction Matt had pointed.

"You shouldn't promise things like that," Matt stated once the mother was out of earshot. Though the look Emily shot him as soon as the words left his mouth told him otherwise.

"Why not? Don't you think she needs to hear that?"

"We can't save everyone," He murmured in response, breaking their eye contact and glancing over towards the edge of the lake. "Doesn't work that way,"

"We can try," Emily reasoned, her tone a little harsh, "It wasn't that long ago you would have said the same thing," She muttered, storming past him, brown hair catching in the wind. Matt watched for a moment, slightly taken aback by her comment. He couldn't see how he'd angered her that much, though truth be told things between him and her were starting to feel a little more complicated these days.

"What's the situation?" Becker interrupted, rushing towards him and coming to a stop as he passed the team leader an EMD to arm himself with.

"Little girl went missing over by the lake, we're guessing an incursion," Matt told him, stepping out into a walk as the two men followed in Emily's tracks.

"Anything else?" The soldier asked, taking a moment to look out at the brunette in front of them, a little frustration in her step. He knew things were getting tense between the two, he just didn't know how much, nor did he know why.

"No, that's it," He responded, and Becker knew he wasn't going to get any details out of the man right now, there was never a point in pressing the issue.

"Guys, I've got something," The two perked up as they heard Emily's voice call over to them, her figure faded amongst the darkness under the trees. Her head tilted slightly as they approached her, though her brown eyes remained glued to the scene ahead of her. "What is it?" She asked as she felt Becker move beside her, not daring to move a muscle.

"Euthecodon," A voice from behind them informed, and the three turned to see Abby wandering up to the scene, though she didn't seem any happier than when they'd last seen her. "It was on some crocodile programme Connor watched a few weeks back," She added, begging no one had picked up on the way her voice shook as she said his name.

"So it's a crocodile?" Becker clarified, eyes glancing back down at the large reptile spread out in front of them. The creature had to be at least ten metres, a long snout adorned with a collection of teeth that the soldier certainly didn't want to get too acquainted with.

"Yeah, prehistoric one," Abby told them, interrupted by Matt before she could say anymore.

"My question would be what's it doing lying here, unconscious. Last time I checked, none of us fired an EMD," He stated, glancing around at the three team members he was surrounded with.

Abby didn't have a chance to respond as the heart-shattering scream tore through the air.


	2. Episode One (Part Two)

The faint scream could be heard from across the road to the park. EMD was slung loosely across her shoulder, the weapon hitting against her back as the brunette watched from a distance. She could see movement in the trees, the vague sound of chatter and shouting, god only knows what was going on now. Either way, it was no longer her problem.

The brunette turned from where she was standing, taking a moment to glance around at her surroundings. It all felt the same as before, the same buildings and park, even the trees and flowers felt like they hadn't moved an inch. Her heart picked up pace as she began walking down the road, eyes adjusting to every sight she came across. Trying to pick out a flaw, something that had changed, seemed almost impossible as she stepped down an all too familiar path. How many times had she taken this route before? How many times had she walked down this road, the same destination in mind every time? So why did she feel all the more nervous as she did so now?

She pulled out the folded paper from her back pocket, her fingers brushing against the worn out photograph underneath it. She daren't even steal a glance at it, not now, not when she was so close. Relief flooded her as she read the words from the paper, remembering them as easily as a kid remembered a nursery rhyme, and she couldn't help the smile that fell on her face, even when she'd told herself numerous times not to let it emerge. Hadn't she told herself a long time ago not to get her hopes up like that?

The brunette half walked, half jogged down the street, pushing the papers back in her pocket as she fished out a key from another. The metal had seen better days, though it had spent far too much time hidden in her fist as she begged for the day she could use it again. All the memories wrapped her in a warm embrace as she rushed up the small steps to the house, fingers tightening on the handle as she pushed in the small key. Though the familiar little click of the lock didn't come to her ears, and she furrowed her brow as she shifted the key around inside the keyhole. Movements became more desperate as the key became caught, and it took all of her strength to pull it out of the stuck position it had held.

She brought a hand up to her chest, heart beat thundering inside her ribcage. Her breathing fell short and quick and she could've sworn her head spun a little before the door in front of her was pulled open. Though the face that appeared hadn't been the face she was hoping for.

"Can I help you?" A woman asked; her blonde hair was pulled loosely in a bun, a few grey strands here and there. "I thought I heard a key? Do you have the right house?"

Too many questions. "13 Silver Side Road," The brunette repeated as if it were a memory clung on too tightly to ever escape, "This is the right house, what are you doing here? Who are you?" Her voice came out in a tremble, and the sympathetic look the blonde shot her felt like a stab to the chest.

"My name's Katherine Liddell, I can assure you this is my home, has been for the past ten years. Me and my partner live here, you see," The blonde grew confused as the lost expression fell upon the young woman's face, and her eyes searched desperately down the street, though the woman wasn't sure what she was expecting to find. "Do you need some help?"

"No, no I don't," The brunette murmured, falling down a step as she moved backwards. Her eyes grew wide and she could feel the anxiety build up in the back of her throat. She had to get out of here; she had to find out what was going on. That was all that mattered. "I have to go," She whispered, not caring if the blonde had heard her or not. She ran back down the steps, not looking back for a second as she legged it down the street, hoping her legs would take her as far away from that house as possible. She didn't understand how that woman could've been living there for ten years. It was impossible. That house had been her home.

* * *

The team instantly ran to the lake as the scream filled the air, and they knew without any more evidence that it had come from the young girl the mother had been so scared about. Becker held up his EMD instinctively as they approached, keeping a guarded aim on the murky waters. The ripples had since ceased, and the park grew silent once more, that is until another shout cut through them. Abby spotted her first, the woman she'd seen by the ARC vehicles had followed the scream, shouting incoherent things as she rushed to the water's edge. Becker moved first, EMD slung over his shoulder as he ran out, wrapping a hand around her arm as he pulled her back from the lake. He practically had to pin her down as she writhed in his arms, shouting for her daughter.

"We need you to calm down, please," Abby told the woman, crouching beside her as Becker kept his arms glued to her. She let her head fall, eyes watching the grass aimlessly as her struggle weakened and the soldier finally released her to the ground.

"My baby, you heard her, I know you did. Where is she? What's happened to her? Is she ok?"

"What's your daughter's name?" Abby asked softly, ignoring the twenty questions she'd thrown her way.

"Amelia,"

Abby hesitated, though she wasn't sure if the momentary look in Becker's eyes had been because of her imagination or not. She shook the feeling off. "Ok, we don't know where she is or what happened, all we know is that if you interfere, you may very well get one of us injured, or worse, you may get your daughter injured, understand?" The blonde could only hope that her words had gotten through to her, she looked more desperate than anyone she'd ever seen, and the lost expression she wore only made her think of Connor. And right now that wasn't a thought she wanted in her head.

"We think she's in the water," Matt informed them as they stepped away from the mother.

"If there's another Euthecodon then it may have dragged her to the island in the middle, it's grassy, dense, perfect place for it to hide," Abby told them, eyes darting towards the lake every few seconds.

"Wouldn't that make her dead?"

"Not necessarily," Matt stated, glancing at Becker as he nodded in response, "But it could easily mean she's injured, which means-"

"We're running out of time," Abby finished, "Right so how do we get it away from her, we can't exactly go in there. It's at an advantage both in the water and in that grass,"

"Can't we just draw it out of the water?" Emily questioned.

Matt raised his eyebrows, glancing over to her, "Could work, what do you say?"

"I say it's our best shot right now," Becker told him, looking back at the mother before turning his attention to the lake. "Just one question, how exactly do you plan on doing that?"

"Look, we have to do something, and we have to do it now," Abby stated, looking between the group, "There's a little girl out there, she's scared, possibly hurt, we can't just stand here and contemplate ideas,"

"Ok," Matt responded, pulling off the leather jacket he was wearing, "I'll go in, find the girl,"

"And if you run into the creature?" Emily asked, a trace of worry in her voice as she spoke, "What are you going to do then?"

"I'll deal with it," The team leader murmured, walking away from the group.

"This is insane," Becker stated, "There has to be a better plan?" He added, powering up the EMD as he followed behind Matt.

"Abby's right, there's a little girl out there, we have to do something now," He told them, turning around for a moment, "If we-"

"Mom!" The small shriek was enough to make them all jump, though Becker's eyes instantly rushed to the mother on the ground, who's body kicked back into action.

The soldier ran after her, glancing over at the lake as the water splashed up into the air, small arms frantically pushing through the surface. "You can't go in there," Becker told her, bringing an arm around the woman as she struggled to reach the lake edge.

"Ok, Amelia, I need you to stop splashing," Abby instructed, her voice shaking, hands reaching out as she gestured for the girl to calm down. The tears kept falling and the shrieks didn't cease, and all the blonde could do was beg her to stop as she crouched by the water.

"Abby," Emily warned, eyes widening as they watched the giant croc slide into the water from the other side of the lake. "Abby?" She repeated, sharing a glance with the blonde, the creature slipping slowly beneath the surface.

Becker didn't take a moment's time to think through what had just happened, and instead he left the woman alone on the grass and ran towards the lake, diving in before anyone could comprehend his actions. As he hit the water, Abby's voice filled his ears, and he could hear her shouting his name even as he let the water completely succumb him. Eyes stinging, he prised them open, only just distinguishing the small legs thrashing around beneath the surface. He couldn't see a creature, he could barely see anything, just the white of the disturbed water where the girl was, and all his ears could hear were the shouting of his team members in the distance.

Matt edged closer as the girl screamed again, skin turning pale as she glanced frantically at the water beneath her. Emily kept her eye on the lake and remained crouched beside the crying mother, but Abby stood further ahead, EMD held steady on the area around the girl. She had ceased with the shouting for Becker, and instead she stood wide eyed, watching the scene with a shaky finger resting on the trigger.

Becker felt his hand reach her leg and instantly drew back to avoid a foot to the face. He heard another scream, bringing his head up from the water as he broke the surface, taking a large gulp of air before steadying himself. "Hey, Amelia, right?" The soldier asked; his voice soft as he held a hand out to the young girl. She nodded, another wave of tears falling down her pale cheeks. "Amelia, I need you to do something for me, ok? I need you to stop splashing. I need you to hold onto me, can you do that?" The next scream hit him seconds before he realised the reason behind it. A sharp pain shot through his leg, and without a chance to breathe he was dragged under the surface, arms reaching out helplessly as he sank.

Abby screamed. It was a mix of Becker's name and her own fear, and she found herself frozen on the spot as she watched the lake where the little girl was, where only the little girl was. She batted at the water frantically, trying to stay afloat; all the while her eyes were flickering from one place to the next, terrified. The water's surface broke once more, a large tail splashing up out of the dark. "Becker!" Her throat ached as she yelled, throwing aside the EMD as she marched towards the lake, though Matt was there with his arm in front of her before she even had the chance to think. "We have to save him!" She snapped, slapping his arm away, blue eyes wide as she stared at him, "We have to do something," She stated, voice softer now.

"We have to wait," Matt told her, keeping a steady voice as he spoke, "Going in there will accomplish nothing,"

She didn't argue. She hated that he was right. She hated how helpless she felt, and all she could do was stare out at the water hoping, wishing, begging and pleading that he would be ok. Her heart almost stopped as the water broke and an arm reached the surface, the soldier gasping for breath as he escaped. He swam towards the girl in a second, scooping her up with one arm as he pulled his way to the edge. Becker was knocked to the side as something slid past him, and a scream pierced his ear as the Euthecodon surfaced, bearing its teeth. With one swift spin he pushed the girl behind him, an arm outstretched in defence as the creature moved once more, thrashing its tail against the surface. He had no time to react as its jaw snapped forward, and for a second the flash of blue blinded him, one arm covering his face.

Abby pressed the trigger numerous times, arms shaking as she lowered the weapon, the creature now floating unconsciously across the lake. She ran out to meet them at the edge, followed by the mother whose arms were outstretched as the little girl hit land. Tears were falling down her face as she held onto her child, pulling her into a hug tighter than any she'd given before.

"Your leg," Abby murmured, resting a hand on Becker as he collapsed to the ground. She let her fingers brush against the torn trousers, the blood staining her skin as she checked it over.

"It's just a scratch," He told her, smirking at her expression, "It's not that deep, honestly," He assured, glancing away from the blonde as he let his eyes rest on the woman beside them.

"Thank you," She whispered, breathlessly, her hands resting against her daughter's head as she held her close. "Thank you so much," She sobbed, kissing the child's forehead before her attention was stolen away by an approaching soldier, the soldier she'd entrusted her son with. She stood up, shakily, taking her younger child in her arms and resting back down on the grass, encasing herself in another hug.

"What are we going to do about that?" The soldier asked, pointing over at the creature before looking to Becker and Matt for orders.

"We'll drag it out, throw it back in the anomaly with the other where it belongs," Matt stated, "Go get backup," He instructed, keeping a cautious eye on the Euthecodon as he walked over to the head of security. "You ok, mate?" He questioned, sharing a smirk with Becker as he laughed.

"Never better,"

* * *

Abby sighed as she collapsed down the wall of the office, Connor's office. He hadn't set foot in it for a week now, he'd been so busy at home watching those videos that he'd left no time for anything else and she couldn't help but spend the majority of her own time worrying. She let her head fall back against the wall, closing her eyes as she thought back to the past couple weeks. With Connor in the state he's been in, she'd felt more alone than ever in their apartment. Not even Rex or Sid and Nancy gave her much comfort nowadays. Call her selfish, but all she wanted was to see her fiancé smile at her again.

The blonde glanced up at the sound of approaching footsteps, blue eyes focussed on the open office door. She sighed a smile as Becker appeared, the white of his bandage poking through the tear of his trouser leg, and she couldn't help but be reminded of how lucky he'd been today. Things could've been much worse.

"How's the leg?" Abby asked, sending a warm smile his way as he walked over to her, impressively not letting the injury hinder his step.

"Its fine, only needed a few stitches," He told her, wincing slightly as he crouched down beside her, resting his head against the wall once he'd sat down. "How're you?"

"Oh, y'know, I'm good," She stated, nodding her head before looking over at him, and in that moment she'd wished she hadn't.

"C'mon, Abby, it's just me," He murmured, resting his hand on hers and giving it a gentle squeeze, "How are you really?"

She sighed, "Connor's still watching the news footage, trying to piece together what happened," The blonde told him, shaking her head, "I don't know what to do, Becker. He barely talks. He doesn't even look at me anymore. I thought we were past this, y'know? We got engaged, he forgot about New Dawn, things were going well, and then it all came crashing down," She whispered, her voice growing quieter and quieter as she spoke, "What am I supposed to do? How can I help him?"

"Here," She turned to look at him as he spoke, eyebrows rising as he handed her a long velvet box. "Just open it," He told her, ignoring the way her blue eyes widened slightly in surprise.

She lifted the lid, gasping as she saw its contents, "Becker, what's this about?"

"Abby, I'm not an idiot. I know how down you've been lately, and after everything we've lost, after everything you and Connor have lost, there's no way I could just stand by while you're upset," He stated, taking the delicate diamond necklace out from the box, "This was my great grandmother's, my mother always wanted me to give it to the girl I was going to marry,"

"Becker, I'm flattered but I'm engaged," Abby joked, smiling at him, and for the first time in a while Becker saw the light back in her eyes.

"I want it to be your something old, and something borrowed," He told her, placing the necklace in her hand, "For your wedding day," He added, a small smile on his face.

"Becker, I couldn't," She began, shaking her head as she gazed at the beautiful necklace in her hand before glancing back up at the soldier.

"I'm not asking for your permission, Abigail. Take it now, wear it on your wedding, and then give it back. It's your something borrowed, it won't make any difference if you hold onto it for a while. I don't plan on proposing to anyone any time soon,"

"Becker..." She was speechless, smiling down at the piece of jewellery as she placed it back in its box, "I can't believe you would do this," She murmured, "Thank you," She planted a gentle kiss on his cheek before turning the box in her hands, letting her fingers roll over the velvet.

"You deserve to be happy, you and Connor. You've both been through so much," He told her, taking a moment before standing up, resting his hand on his wound as he stood. "And Abby, give him some time. He's been through hell and back, it's going to take a while before he's ready to be himself again," The blonde smiled at his words.

"_Becker?"_

The soldier paused, glancing down at Abby for a second before he held a hand to the earpiece he wore.

"What is it Jess?"

"_There's a woman here. She's demanding to see you, apparently it's important," _

Becker could recognize the hesitation in her voice as she spoke, and his brow furrowed in slight confusion. Whoever she was, she'd clearly gone through enough trouble to find him here, but that was what puzzled him, no one knew he worked here, excluding his colleagues of course. "I'll be right down," He told her, shaking his head slightly before his attention was stolen away once more.

"Becker?"

His eyes found the blonde's as soon as the words left her mouth, "Yeah?"

"For someone so emotionally inept, you're doing alright," He smirked as she spoke, "And thank you... For everything," She added, sharing a smile with him before he wandered out of Connor's office, leaving her alone once more. She sighed as she opened the box and stared at the necklace that lay in the velvet. Even with everything Becker had said, she still had her doubts whether she'd even make it to her wedding day, not with the way things were going right now.

* * *

Matt sat in his apartment, the room unusually quiet, the TV no longer turned on. He couldn't find anything to keep him distracted from his thoughts these days, and it wasn't as though he had Emily here to keep his mind off it. He wished she was staying here, like she had when he first found her, instead she had a small apartment the ARC was paying for and he had to remain alone with his thoughts. They hadn't been talking much lately, and he really missed hearing her voice, so beautiful, so kind, and always looking out for him and others. He really did miss her.

The knock on the door broke his thoughts, and he stood up from the chair, slightly confused by who would be visiting him so late. As he held a hand out to the handle, the cold metal sent a chill down his spine, and he hadn't realised until now just how long he'd been sitting in the silence. The door opened, and for a moment it was as though a mirror lay on the other side for the person who was stood in front of him was an exact replica of himself, excluding the scars that cut across his face and lay as a constant reminder that this man was more different than anyone could've realised.

"For a moment there I thought you weren't coming back," Matt stated, stepping out of the way to let the man walk through. He did, though cautiously, and even after a month Matt couldn't figure out why he seemed so suspicious of everything, including himself.

"I wouldn't abandon the mission," The man told him, his voice colder than his own, a distant feeling to it as if the man hadn't felt anything real in a long time. It wouldn't surprise Matt if that was exactly the reason.

"No, I can't say you would," Matt began, closing the door behind him, and for once he was thankful Emily wasn't here. "Now I think it's time for me to get the answers I've been waiting for,"

The man moved to the window, taking a long look out across the city before turning to face Matt, "I agree, ask away."

* * *

**A/N: I have my A-level exams coming up in the next few weeks so there's a good chance I won't be uploading for a while. As soon as they're over though, I promise I'll get back to writing, including my Jayme Cutter series. **

**Anyway, here's the synopsis of the next episode.**

* * *

**Episode Two: Wishful Thinking**

In the second episode, the team have to deal with a herd of prehistoric horses taking over one of London's racehorse courses. Meanwhile, Becker finds himself pulled into some family issues he isn't prepared to deal with and Emily begins to worry more and more about Matt when he starts disappearing at the most inexplicable times.


End file.
